Our First Etsy Packaging

A cute, handwritten note on the back of our mini business cards gets added inside each bag.

Kristy and I both spent a few long nights experimenting and researching packaging ideas. One our challenges here as a Canadian Etsy seller is that our packages (including the bubble mailer) must fit through the 2cm high "slot of doom" at Canada Post or face significantly high postage fees. Right off the bat we knew that we couldn't do a jewelry box.

So we began looking at alternative ideas. We knew that we really wanted to create the packaging by hand as we are big supporters of the handmade culture and we felt that it would really be a nice touch to add to our handmade jewelry.

After a bit of experimentation Kristy created these gorgeous little canvas bags that she sew up with bright red thread. Tied up with a gorgeous little bit of red ribbon, we think they really came together beautifully! (And nice and flat, too.) See the pics below. What do you think?

How To Improve Your Etsy Photography

As a newbie to the Etsy community, I've spent some time trying to get to know it better lately. One thing that I've noticed a lot of people are struggling with is product photography, especially photo editing. There are a lot of photos on Etsy that with just a few tweaks here and there could be dramatically improved, and I wanted to share a few helpful hints on how to do it. I've put together a brief tutorial here using a free photo editing service Picnik with some simple tips that I hope will help out beginners.

Before and After Examples

Yaylove Is Officially Open!

Yaylove officially opened it's doors on Etsy yesterday. We are so excited to present to you more of our unique, handmade pieces. As a special opening and thank you for following our grand opening, we are offering a limited time coupon of 10% off any order! Simply enter APRILTHANKYOU2011 on checkout. Visit our store here. See some of our newest pieces below.

Yaylove Sneak Peak!

We have been working very hard and are excited to show you a sneak peak of some of our upcoming designs. The etsy shop is well on its way and we hope to be open very soon. Let us know what you think, comments are very much appreciated!

Dangly, purple and black clusters on posts with black chain